Volkswagen preliminary evaluation PE13036
Partial Loss of Exterior Lights. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the electrical system on 3 model years (2009–2011). Opened Nov 4, 2013, closed Feb 28, 2014 after 4 months. It led to safety recall 13V569000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedVolkswagen Group of America (VW) is conducting a safety recall of approximately 62,155 model year (MY) 2009-2011 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles to address a partial loss of the exterior lighting (see NHTSA recall 13V-569 for more information).These vehicles' exterior lighting system is protected by two separate fuses contained in a fuse box located in the engine compartment. According to VW, high thermal cycling and soft-coated fuse coating material used at the F16 (also referred to as SB16) location causes movement between the fuse blade and socket, resulting in abrasions on the fuse coating material. This increases resistance and results in overheating of the fuse and disruption of electrical current flow to roughly half of the vehicle's exterior lighting circuits. Examples include loss of one of each of the following: low beam headlight, high beam headlight, brake light, and turn signal light involving the front and rear of the vehicle. VW has stated that the subject F16 fuse in the Tiguan model was used in several other Volkswagen models. According to VW, the temperature of the vehicle's engine and the fuse box varies by vehicle model. ODI found that the complaint and warranty rates for the MY 2009-2010 Tiguan are more than four times greater than that of MY 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta sedans. ODI is aware of VW's plan to take a service action of some, but not all, of the other vehicle models. The action will cover MY 2009-2010 Jetta sedan and MY 2009 GTI vehicles. ODI will monitor complaints to NHTSA on all other Volkswagen models equipped with the same subject fuse and take further action if warranted. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10362206, 10471503, 10490408, 10501271, 10504495, 10508638, 10512642, 10520573, 10521147, 10522909, 10523748, 10526032, 10534679, 10538004, 10538410, 10543629, 10544805, 10545540, 10547334, 10547530, 10547775, 10549584, 10550140, 10550903, 10551486, 10551503, 10551538, 10551776, 10551816, 10551848, 10551853, 10552153, 10552322, 10552740, 10552811, 10552866, 10553122, 10553299, 10554352, 10554441, 10554443, 10554730, 10554890, 10555047, 10555080, 10555527, 10555540, 10555988, 10556475, 10558014, 10559441, 10559447, 10561642, 10562693.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan; 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan; 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE13036 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 13V569000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE13036 still open?
No. It closed on Feb 28, 2014 and led to recall 13V569000.
Which vehicles does PE13036 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan, 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan, 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.